About Rachel Smith
The amount of time that Rachel and her family have had to stay in and around the hospital for treatment has lasted far longer than originally expected. There is a need for more funds as the family is having to remain in the area of the hospital for an extended amount of time. As always your love and support is greatly appreciated.
What Can I Do?
- Pray - Prayer will make a difference.
- Donate - There is a need for approximately $59,000 more dollars.
- Lend your support - Sign the guest book and attend fund raisers as they come up.
- Follow the journey - The journal is a great way to follow along with the family as they go through this event in their life. From time to time photo's are also posted.
About Rachel Smith
Rachel Lynn Smith was born on January 18, 2005 and is the daughter of Danny and Rebecca. She is the proud big sister to her brother, Nathan. At birth Rachel was the picture of health. It was not until she was two months old that it was discovered that something was terribly wrong with her. After extensive tests she was diagnosed with an extremely rare blood disorder called Blackfan Diamond Anemia. There are a number of possible symptoms associated with the disease, but the one that is most notable and common to everyone who suffers with it is the inability of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Until November 2007 Rachel received blood transfusions every 3 to 6 weeks to sustain her life. This was only a temporary solution since continuous transfusions could eventually lead to organ failure and death. In Rachel’s case, she would most likely die in her teens after enduring serious side effects and suffering with a poor quality of life. Her best option was a bone marrow transplant where her own bone marrow would be destroyed using chemotherapy and then replaced with donated umbilical cord blood instead of actual bone marrow. Rachel underwent this fairly new treatment at Duke University Medical Center on November 21, 2007 with expectations to be home and on the way to full recovery by April 2008.
Due to Rachel’s many complications with graft versus host disease, with Rachel having extended hospital stays and ongoing treatments, since the transplant, the family has had to stay in Durham within 10 minutes of the hospital.
Danny and Rebecca are asking for prayers on behalf of their family as Rachel recovers from the risky procedure. They also need your support. Although the original fund raising goal of $65,000 was met, because of the unforeseen complications and extended stay in the Durham area, the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) has established a new estimated goal, increasing the original goal to $175,000 with the hope that Rachel and family will be back home by December 2009. Therefore, as of October 2009 an additional amount of around $59,000 still needs to be raised to help this wonderful family through this trying and frightening time. COTA is a national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-needy patients. In North Carolina and Virginia, volunteers are diligently raising funds for Rachel.